66While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. 67When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.
"You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus," she said.
68But he denied it. "I don't know or understand what you're talking about," he said, and went out into the entryway.
69When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, "This fellow is one of them." 70Again he denied it.
After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, "Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.
71He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, "I don't know this man you're talking about."
72Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times." And he broke down and wept.
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There are scenes throughout this chapter when Peter is not courageous enough to confidently claim that he was with Jesus... But looking at the last sentense of this chapter, it says that "he broke down and wept..." I believe this moment is truly the turning point of Peter's life. Surely, he was already committed to Jesus, since he gave up his profession (fisherman) and his family in order to follow the calling of Jesus....However, I believe this experience would be more profound and shattering on Peter's future, as he totally gets transformed with new passion and zeal for Christ later in the Book of Acts. It's a moment when he breaks down and really sees his weaknesses that can only be healed through Christ later, when He reinstates him again....I earnestly pray that Christ's mercy will touch me as much as it touched and transformed Peter's life. Though I claim to have submitted my life to Him and responded to His calling, I feel that I earnestly need a shattering experience (like Peter), so that I could go up to the next level in my walk with Him.
Once again we see that Jesus' word coming true.
I agree with EBSFellow, the focus here is not the fact that a loyal disciple of Christ have disowned his Lord, but that he realized it after his wrong doings and repented.
Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near... As I bring myself close to the light, I see my sins so clearly. I have been lacking in focusing on God's law therefore becoming unclear of my sins and resulting in the lack of repent.
I see a lot of things that I need to repent for and I pray that God keep me close to him so that I can continue to see that I am completely helpless without him.
This is one of those passages that is painfully uncomfortable to read through and even more painfully uncomfortable to think about. Witnessing someone experience spiritual breakdown step-by-step is both disheartening and embarrassing, especially when we know in our hearts that the situation mirrors our own lives. There's not much that is more utterly demoralizing or cathartically transforming (as the other blog posters have mentioned) than coming face-to-face with the truth, especially a truth about oneself. To see how Jesus accomplishes this with Peter -- and with all of us -- through just the quiet power of love is an incredible revelation. But if love can trump hate or guilt so easily in the context of our spiritual lives, why aren't we using it all the time in our secular lives?
This passage breaks my heart. Peter is so utterly, heartbreakingly human. He must have loved Jesus so much to have followed him to the unlawful court hearing. He knew he was risking his life - but he could not abandon his friend and teacher. Yet as the danger for himself became more imminent, his fear became stronger than his love - and self preservation won out. And then for him to hear the cock crow, and recognize at once that Jesus knew him better than he knew himself - it's just heartbreaking.
At times of greatest stress, instinct overrules rational thought. At these times we see who we truly are, not who we would like to be. Our character comes out without premeditation, without time to carefully put on our best masks. How terrifying to face our worst fears about ourselves - and how gratifying to know at these darkest times, that God still loves and forgives us.
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